Public servants’ salary increases in 2021 assured by President Ali

Public servants in Guyana have been assured of salary increases at the end of this year.
President Irfaan Ali reaffirmed his government’s commitment to increased salary this year. He
made this disclosure during a press conference on Friday morning. “As I said earlier this year,
we are committed to increases for the public servants, and that commitment will be fulfilled
before the end of the year,” he assured. Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said as early as
January that $10B has been set aside in Budget 2021 for the revision of wages and salaries for
public servants.
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) subsequently wrote to the government requesting
talks on this matter. Regarding talks with the GPSU, President Ali said the matter will be
addressed by the Ministries of Finance and Public Service.
The President had first made the commitment to public servants during his August 2 press
conference, commemorating the culmination of his first year in office. “The public servants will
receive salary increases before the end of the year, and it will be retroactive. Let me be clear on
that,” he said.
Dr Ali had noted that it is not his government’s vision for the discourse to be only about salary
increases, but rather, mechanisms that would allow all public servants to live improved lives.
The President in December last year, had announced a $25,000 one-off grant for public servants.
Some $2B was budgeted for the initiative, which benefitted over 60,000 workers.
He pointed out that beneficiaries included workers within the Central Government, statutory
bodies, subvention agencies, public corporations, teachers, medical workers, Members of the
Joint Services, Government pensioners and staff of the University of Guyana, to assist them with
the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.